Wright, who teaches a course in visual literacy at Taliesin, works at a #101 dining table by Skovby.

Here's what you need to know before undergoing a building project with a contractor but no architect.

When not in use during winter, the tub is hidden from the home’s view. The entrance has a sheltered overhang for car parking.

“A building can have far greater impact than the space it stands in.”—William Carpenter, architect and resident

Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

New zoning allowed for a zero-lot-line structure, but required a public storefront, which Carpenter uses as an art gallery.

Sliding doors by Quantum were made to look like the original panes that couldn't be saved, and they lead to a fire pit outside.

Like many of Wright's Los Angeles designs, the property prioritizes indoor/outdoor connection and rich materials including cypress paneling and Brazilian walnut tile flooring.

The yard is paved with Texas limestone and bluestone and features a Mayan-inspired koi pond.

The kitchen is one area of the house that's been updated. The floors are ipe, and the appliances are by Wolf and Sub-Zero.

Lloyd Wright, son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and a modern master himself, designed the 3,100-square-foot, four-bedroom Brentwood, California, home in 1936. It's currently on the market for $4.395 million.

The elevated dining area room looks out onto the half-acre site. In recent years, the house has been restored.

The house wraps around the patio and koi pond.

The fireplace is copper. The architect's thoughtful use of natural materials is a technique passed down from his father, Frank Lloyd Wright.

The house was originally built for Charles Warwick Evans, cofounder of the London String Quartet. Many details throughout are custom.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Spring House in Tallahassee, Florida, was commissioned by George and Clifton Lewis, who sought a comfortable house for their large family that fit within their modest budget. Completed in 1954, the home features an unusual "hemicycle" form—a shape that the designer briefly experimented with at the end of his career. Now, a fundraising campaign aims to acquire, restore, and open the house to the public.

Located seven miles from Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate, Tim Wright and Karen Ellzey’s prefab home is meant to pay homage to the great American architect’s experiments with modular housing.

“I love the house more each day,” says Tamami Sylvester of her and husband Michael's home by Sebastian Mariscal in Venice, California. The kitchen, which includes all Miele appliances, is sheathed in custom woodwork from Semihandmade. Accessories from A+R complement the Caesarstone countertops and Franke faucet. A LifeSource Water System provides filtration. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

Six-inch-square blue tiles cover the walls and floor of the girls’ upstairs bathroom. The towels and rug are also by H&M Home.

"How would a kid draw a house?" architect Per Franson asked himself when designing the Olivero-Reinius family home. The simple prefab structure’s unusual color comes from a traditional source: falu rödfärg, the historic mineral paint that gives the region’s famous barns their red color.

Architect Gustavo Costa calls the home library the “project’s heart.” This central space houses the owner’s expansive collection of about 5,000 books, and acts as a meeting place for friends and colleagues. A Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Red and Blue chair completes the space.

5. "What are the top 10 most important things I must have in a home?" "If there are two people buying the home, write your answers down separately, starting with your absolute must-haves," Hoffman explains. “Putting together a list separately can give both parties and the realtor a clear picture of what the perfect home will have for both of you."

An outdoor shower was the family’s first construction project. “Doing the shower made us realize we can build things the way we want to build them,” says Meg.

“We sought to create a house that would not damage the environment and not be too visible,” says architect Tina Gregorič. A single zigzagging roof stretches over 5,380 square feet, doubling the area of the interior spaces and serving as an ideal spot for sunset cocktails and whale-watching.

He worked around existing oak and eucalyptus trees for the new building, and retained the vernacular of an original barn, at right, where Frankel hosts concerts. Check out MVRDV's Balancing Barn.

The courtyard is just one of many open spaces that will be highly utilized—in the non-winter months anyway. Concrete worked well with developing the language of FlatPak. The second level is a wood panel that can be clad in corrugated metal or cedar—different layers that can be plugged in like covers on your cellphone.

The kitchen is situated in a sunken basement, underneath the staircase’s walnuts steps. The same joiner who built the house’s timber elements built the white cabinetry which are finished in a 40% gloss lacquer. Silestone countertops and integrated appliances maintain the space’s simple lines. Additional storage is fitted under the staircase.

Located on a steep site with limited suitable building ground, the firm decided to cantilever the home over the hillside, which has the effect of helping the structure blend in with the landscape.

Escape made a splash by launching a property in Tampa Bay filled with its trailers. But you don’t have to live there to own one.

If you’re traveling to Puglia in Italy, one of the most iconic sights are trulli (trullo is the singular), an ancient hut that's specific to the Itria Valley in the Apulia region of Southern Italy. Made with dry stone, trulli date back to medieval times.

In Montara, California, architect Michael Maltzan designed a home for, his sister and brother-in-law. From certain vantage points, the home’s unique angles result in M.C. Escher–like optical illusions.

At night, the exterior screen provides privacy when the house is illuminated.

"The building form was intentionally asymmetric and clad in hand-stained, split-face shakes and metal," says Campos Studio.